Knowing when to assist with calving can be a very tricky matter. It requires a delicate balance between not acting too quickly and not reacting too late. Finding this balance can require a lot of experience and maybe a little bit of luck.
If you help too early there is a chance that you did not need to help at all. Also, you run the risk of injuring the calf as well as the calf. Not to mention it can impair the bonding process between momma and baby.
Waiting too long can have dire results as well. There is a certain possibility that you will lose both the calf and its momma at the same time. Not to mention the expensive veterinary bill if it gets to the point of needing surgery to get the calf out.
So to help you find the right balance of when to take action or not I have provided some information to get you on the path to success.
A feed tag is a very informative but often overlooked item on a commercially produced feed. Other than looking at the Crude protein or maybe the energy content not many people really look at them. With some of the confusing numbers and such listed on them, it is understandable how that can happen.
Well here we are. at the beginning of a new year. And with this new trip around the sun brings both optimism for what the future can hold. As well as potential challenges. While I will mention the optimism it is also important to plan ahead for any speedbumps that may be coming to us.
BRD, or bovine respiratory disease, is a general term for respiratory disease in cattle. A range of factors can cause this disease. The common names normally used for this disease is pneumonia or shipping fever. Stocker and feedlot operations is often where this disease occurs.
With fall and cooler weather right around the corner it is important to giver your cows their best chance going into winter. Good winter management practices contribute to healthy and productive cattle. It also plays a part in keeping feed costs reasonable.
Hard to believe that we are already in September. which means that summer is over. The temperatures are getting cooler (somewhat) and the days are getting shorter. This is certainly a time of year where a lot of transitioning will be going on.
Though the weather may not feel like it, still in the high 90s here, but the fall season is upon us. The soon to be changing weather reminds us of the changing season. Along with a new season comes a new need for supplementation for your pasture cattle.
Many producers out there unknowingly sabotage their mineral program by providing sulfur salt blocks to their cattle in the pasture. The general way of thinking in providing this is that it is for the purpose for external parasite control. The trouble with this is that although applied externally has shown to do this somewhat. As far as I have been able to find there is no proof that ingesting it does this.
Weaning is one of the most important times for a cattle producer. It is a time for all of their hard work begins to pay off with a nice large calf crop. Though it may be of a benefit to the producer it doesn’t come without it’s problems.
Drought is one of those things that every cattle producer will have to deal with at some point. It ranks right up there with Death and Taxes. Just like those two though it is unavoidable it is also something that most producers find themselves unprepared for.
